Automatic blast torch



Sept. 28, 1937.

s. c. BRODY 2,094,259

AUTOMATIILC BLAST TORCH' Filed Jan. 23, 1 956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 frzz/elziorx Samuel Cfifaqy 3% 1%.

Sept. 28, 1937. s. c. BRODY AUTOMATIC BLA ST TORCH '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 23, 1956 v Inventor.-

flannel Cfil'oq y Patented Sept. 28, 1937 UNITED STATE-S Z,tt4,2519

PATENT orriee AUTOMATIC BLAST TORCH Samuel 0. Brody, Brighton, Mass. Application January 23, 1936, Serial No. 60,460

18 Claims.

embodiments of the invention herein shown and described are illustrative and not restrictive and that the invention may be embodied in many different forms in addition to those actually shown without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

In these drawings:

' Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the pressure generating unit of an automatic blast 20 torch equipped with one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the combination gas intensifier and re-condensation preventer shown in Fig. 1, removed.

Fig. 3 shows a modification of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the holding spring shown in Fig. 3, removed. I

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section showing a further modification of the combination gas-generator and recondensation preventer.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the device of Fig. 5, removed.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to- Fig. 5 but showing a still further modification of the combination gas-generator and recondensation preventer.

Fig. 8 is a detail view 'of the device of Fig. 7,

removed.

Fig. 9 is a View similar to Fig. 5 but showing a modification of the holding spring of Fig.- 4 applied to the device of Fig. 2.

Fig. 10 is a detail view of the holding spring of Fig. 9, removed.

Fig. 11 is a View similar to Fig. 5 but showing a still further modification of the holding spring of Fig. 4 applied to the device of Figs. 5 and-6, and

Fig. 12 is a detail view of the holding spring of Fig. 11, removed.

I have indicated generally at Ill (Fig. 1) the pressure generating unit of an. automatic blast torch of standard construction. Such unit in- 50 cludes a fuel reservoir II, a wick tube I2, a wick I3 in said wick tube and extending into the fuel contained in said reservoir, and a jet delivery nozzle I4 fixed within the outer end of said wick tube. Preferably although not necessarily the 55 jet nozzle is in the form of a jet plug having a It will be understood, of course, that the severaljet opening I5. Preferably, although not necessarily a combustion burner tube I6 may be affixed over the outer end of the wick tube.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, I provide a barrier located between the ends of the wick I3, which barrier is physically retardant and/or preventative to the free leakage therethrough or therepast of the raw, unvaporized or liquid fuel contained in the casing I I, but is permeable by the gases volatilized when the torch is operating, or being primed or otherwise warm or heated.

This barrier is in the form of a combination gas intensifier and rte-condensation preventer. Preferably although not necessarily, it may be constructed as a jacket member I'I applied to that portion I2 of the wick tube I2 lying within the fuel reservoir I I. It is made of any suitable material which is permeable to the volatilizedgases but is retardant and/or preventative to the passage or free leakage of the raw or liquid fuel therethrough or therepast.

It may cover all or any desired part of the inner portion I2 of the wick tube lying within the fuel reservoir, preferably being axially bored as indicated at I8 to receive said inner portion of the wick tube, and is or may be at all times saturated with the liquid fuel contained within said reservoir.

When the torch is primed and lighted, the wick tube carries the heat along itsentire length back to the jacket l1, thereby heating the same. Gas becomes quickly generatedthroughout the area of the jacket in contact with the wick tube, volatilizing the fuel with which the jacket is saturated, thereby producing an intensified gas, the pressure of which increases as the degree of heat increases.

The lower portion I9 of the gas-permeable jacket is axially counter-bored as at and the gas thus generated escapes through said lower portion I9 and counter-bore 20 into the wick tube and is delivered through the wick tube to the combustion burner.

Moreover, the gas-producing action of the jacket ll accentuates and increases and causes the torch to produce gas at far greater speed and in much shorter time than has heretofore been possible by the previous known method of simply heating the wick tube and wick lying therein. This enables me to deliver volatilized gases to the burner in much shorter time and in greater in tensity than has heretofore been possible.

The wick is carried through the bore I8 and counterbore 20 and down into the fuel reservoir .I I, being preferably under compression through- 7 ing the counterbore of considerably less diameter than the diameter of the wick, or the. jacket ll may be made of resilient material so as to tightly grip the inserted wick within the counterbore area 20 and thereby prevent leakage or passage of the liquid fuel therethrough or therepast. With either construction the barrier portion IQ of the jacket itself effectively seals the inner open end of the wick tube against entrance of liquid fuel thereinto, other than the limited quantity of fuel normally drawn up by the wick 1 by capillary action of the wick.

Thus, the member H has the functions of both a gas-generating jacket at the inner portion I2 of the wick tube and a wick-compressing barrier which will prevent the raw fuel from rushing'into the wick tube and displacing the gases therein while at the same time being permeable to the gases generated by the torch in operation.

In addition to these functions, the member I! also acts as a heat-retainer to prevent dissipation or heat losses of the wick tube, especially at the inner portion of the wick tube, as well as acting as a positive shield or insulating jacket to prevent the raw or cold liquid fuel from coming in contact with the inner portion of the wick tube and cooling the wick tube and thereby causing the gases to be re-condensed back to liquid fuel, which would cause the torch when inverted or tilted to extinguish itself by reason of choking or flooding with liquid fuel so recondensed.

It will be noted that the member H is of less diameter than the inside diameter of the fuel reservoir ll, thus leaving a fuel space 2! entirely surrounding the member ll so that the jacket is or may be saturated at all times with liquid fuel.

My invention, however, is not restricted to a jacket of this size, as it may be of any desired size or dimension, and may be of a diameter to snugly fit the inside diameter of the member H, and may be placed in any position to coact with the wick tube.

Any suitable means may be employed for positioning the jacket I! in the relation indicated. If desired, the inner portion 12' of the wick tube may be externally screw-threaded as at 22, Fig. 1, to engage and retain the jacket I? thereon. The jacket I! may be correspondingly screwthreaded, or where the material of the jacket is such as to permit, the act of screwing the wick tube and jacket to one another causes the threads 22 of the wick tube to cut corresponding threads into the jacket.

Or the threads 22 may be omitted and the parts held together by a frictional drive fit. Or the wick tube and jacket may be maintained assembled with one another by some independent mechanical retaining means, as the holding spring 23 shown in Figs. 3 and 4, thereby obviating the necessity for cutting screw threads on the wick tube. Where the holding spring 23 is used, its upper coiled end 24 frictionally engages and contacts with the inner face of the wick tube wall and is firmly held there by reason of the spring action of the coil. The free arms 25 of the spring .are extended downwardly through the bore 53 and counterbore 29 and then out-turned as at 25 to span the lower or barrier portion IQ of the jacket Ha, terminating in inturned holding barbs 21 which engage the sides of the jacket, as best shown in Fig. 3.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the jacket member I7?) is provided with an upward extension 33 of a diameter to fit snugly, and if desired compressibly, within the inner end of the wick tube. See Fig. 5. The jacket and extension has a wick passage 3 3, 35 extending from end to end thereof. This may be of any desired diameter to compress the wick at any desired point or points, or if desired, the diameter of the wick passage may vary at different intervals therealong.

The extension 33 may be of any desired length of material and may be frictionally or otherwise retained within the wick tube at any desired point therein. It is entirely out of direct contact with the raw or liquid fuel contained in the fuel reservoir, and forms a gas generating and intensifying element Within the inner end of the wick tube which serves, among other functions, to prevent the wick from contacting with the Wick tube within the'wick passage 34 of the extension.

When the torch is heated, the wick tube delivers heat to those portions of the wick which are in contact with the wick tube, thereby interiorly heating the extension 33 as well as the jacket generally. The degree of heat delivered by the wick interiorly to the extension is greater than that delivered to the jacket generally. In addition, the entire: exterior surface of the extension is also heated by reason of its close contact with the wick tube.

Thus, by heating the extension 33 both inter orly and exteriorly, the heat is caused thoroughly to penetrate the entire area of the extension and thereby produce a far greater volume of gas in a much shorter time, as well as a more highly volatilized gas, than has heretofore been possible in the art.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the upper end of the jacket member He is annularly grooved as at 36 to the desired depth, leaving an internal core or extension 31 and an enclosing extension or area 38. The internal extension 3'! fits within the inner end of the wick tube. The external extension 38 surrounds all or any desired part of the wick tube. See Fig. 9.

The two extensions 31 and 38 co-act with each other to isolate all portions of the wick tube which are in contact therewith from the raw or liquid fuel in the fuel reservoir- They also co-act to provide a warming or blanket element which when heated immediately causes thorough penetration of the heat in a continuous manner through the portion of the wick tube so blanketed, thus producing a far greater volume of intensified gas than was heretofore possible.

In addition, these extensions co-act to eliminate any other cooling condition which would retard or lower the heat produced by the wick tube or'interfere with the volatilization of the gas, or tend to cause the gas to re-condense to liquid.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the jacket member l1d may be held in position by a spring member 39 similar in part to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, but frictionally engaging the Wick tube externally rather than internally thereof. The member 39 may however be so constructed as to engage the wall of the fuel reservoir, if desired, somewhat in the manner suggested in Figs. 11 and 12.

In said figures (13 and 14), the jacketmemher We is shown as held in position by a spring member 49.

This engages the jacket member and also the inner surface of the fuel reservoir wall ll.

Many other variations in structures, materials and methods of assembly and/or manufacture may obviously be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, the same being indicated by the appended claims but not to be restricted by the foregoing description, it being understood that all such variations which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the invention are intended to be embraced by said claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a blow torch having a fuel reservoir, a Wick tube communicating with said fuel reser- V011, and a wick within said tube, a gas permeable barrier disposed within said fuel reservoir and engaging said Wick tube and having an opening through which a portion of the wick is. passed,

a portion of said opening being of less diameter than the normal diameter of the wick portion disposed therethrough thereby to compress said wick portion, said barrier itself being of a material which retards or prevents the passage of raw or liquid fuel therethrough or therepast.

2. In a blow torch having a fuel reservoir, a

wick tube extending thereinto, and a wick in said tube, means coactive with the Wick tube both to I generate gas and to prevent the generated gases from recondensing back to liquid.

3. In a blow torch having a fuel reservoir, a wick tube extending thereinto, and a wick in said tube, means disposed within the fuel reservoir and coactive with the wick tube both to generate gas and to prevent the generated gases from recondensing back to liquid.

4. The torch of claim 2, said means comprising a jacket member mounted upon a portion of the wick tube.

5. The torch of claim 2, said means comprising a jacket member mounted upon the inner portion of the wick tube disposed within thev fuel reservoir and made of a material which is gas-permeable but retards or prevents the passage of raw or liquid fuel therethrough and into the inner end of the wick tube.

6. The torch of claim 2, said means comprising a jacket memberdisposed within the fuel reservoir and having an axial bore to receive the inner end of the Wick tube.

7. The torch of claim 2, said means comprising a jacket member disposed within the fuel reservoir and having an axial bore to receive the inner end of the wick tube and having a bore of smaller diameter within which the wick is compressively received.

8. The torch of claim 2, said means comprising a jacket member disposed within the wick tube and having an axial bore to receive the inner end of the wick tube and having a bore of smaller diameter within which the wick is compressively received.

9. In a blow torch having a fuel reservoir, a wick tube extending thereinto, and a wick in said tube, a jacket member disposed within the fuel reservoir and having a bore receiving the inner end of the wick tube, the inner end of said jacket being closed and closing the inner end of the wick tube against ingress of raw or liquid fuel, and there being a bore of smaller diameter through said closed inner end of the jacket and communicating with said first named bore and within which the wick is compressively inserted.

10. The torch of claim 9, said jacket member being of a material which is gas permeable but retards or prevents the free leakage of raw or liquid fuel therethrough or therepast into the wick tube.

11. The torch of claim 9, the inner end of the wick tube having threads which secure the jacket member on said wick tube.

12. The torch of claim 9, and a jacket securing member frictionally engaging the wick tube wall and'the jacket member.

13. The torch of claim 9, and a jacket securing spring having a portion frictionally engaging the Wick tube wall and having another portion engaging the jacket member.

14.. The blow torch of claim 9, and a spring carried by the jacket member and frictionally engaging with an internal wall of the torch.

15. The blow torch of claim 9, and a spring having a coil portion encircling the wick, and

strictive passage.

17. In a blow torch having a fuel reservoir, a wick tube extending thereinto, and a wick in said tube, a jacket member mounted upon the wick tube within the fuel reservoir, said member having a. portion extending upwardly into the Wick tube and provided with a wick constrictive passage and having another portion enclosing said first-named portion and spaced therefrom by the wick tube.

18. T'heblow torch of claim 2, and means securing said first named means to the wick tube and also actingto conduct heat from the wick tube to said first named means.

SAMUEL C. BRODY. 

